Poker
Book Reviews
The Poker Mindset
By Ian Taylor and Matthew Hilger
Review by Al Spath
Ian Taylor and Matthew Hilger have co-authored a book that provides the reader
with an ideal source document to better explain the complex mental side of poker.
The meat of the text (for this reader), is when they dive into subjects such
as tilt, bankroll, downswings, and getting into the mind of your opponents.
With the authors' permission, I'd like to provide an example of how they describe
the underlying attitudes, or "stages," associated with handling a
bad beat:
"To further illustrate the difference between the stages, let's look
at a limit hand example from the point of view of a representative player we
will call Rick.
Rick is dealt A
K
in middle position. He open raises, the player on the button re-raises, and
the big blind calls, as does Rick.
The flop is A
K
8
.
The big blind checks, as does Rick. The button bets, the big blind calls, and
Rick check-raises. Both opponents call.
The turn is a 9.
The big blind checks, Rick bets, the button folds, and the big blind calls.
The river is a 6.
The big blind now bets, Rick calls, and his opponent shows 7
5
for a back-door straight.
How will Rick respond to this hand? It all depends on what stage he is
at.
Stage 1 - "I can't believe it! What was he thinking about calling
all those bets? He had nothing the entire hand and lucked out. What an idiot!
This always happens to me, it's so unfair! I'm going to do my best to get back
at him and win my chips back."
Stage 2 - "What a bad beat! Losing an eleven big-bet pot to
a suck-out like that really hurts. How can you win at this game when players
call down with garbage and then hit? I know in the long term he will lose all
his money, but I really needed that pot. That has put me in a real hole!"
Stage 3 - "Ouch! Oh well. That's poker, I suppose. If he keeps
playing like that I will take his money in the long term, so I just have to
be patient. I'll make sure I remember that he is a calling station and play
accordingly. I wonder if there was any way of winning that pot had I played
differently."
Stage 4 - "Okay, I now know that the guy on the big blind will
call down with pretty much anything, so I will take that into account from now
on. I wonder what the button had. Maybe he had JJ or TT. It's worth knowing
that he will make a continuation bet in that situation. Maybe I should have
bet out on the flop in the hope that the button would have raised? That might
have driven the big blind out, although I'm not sure I want to drive him out
if he's willing to pay off all those bets with such a weak hand."
As you can see, Rick has two advantages when he is at stage 3 or 4. First,
he accepts the result of the hand and so is less likely to go on tilt, and second,
he is using his time more productively to think about the things that really
matter. These are two good reasons why every player should want to move beyond
the lower stages to reach these levels of thinking."
After blogging this excerpt at www.pokerschoolonline.com,
I asked the members if they would like to share their views on which stage they
could relate to, themselves. Here is a sampling:
- I'm usually in Stage 3 most of the time, sometimes in stage 4, although
if I have been playing awhile, and particularly in several tourneys at once,
I go on tilt more easily."
- We can know all the math and all of the angles, but learning how to control
our emotions and going to the tables prepared takes a lot of practice and
discipline."
- Definitely stage 1. I try to reach stage 3, which I do for most of the
time, then some outrageous things happen and I fall down to 1. I still have
work to do, but so does everyone else, even if they think not."
- I am usually stage 3. I do say a mental 'ouch' or something a bit more
colorful, but I don't let a bad beat affect my play. However, I will often
pretend it has put me on tilt to get more action on my big hands."
As you can see, just this excerpt fueled a bevy of responses and interaction
between members, which lead to more curiosity and critical discovery.
The Taylor/Hilger book allows the reader to see a situation from many angles,
including angles that most beginners are unaware even exist. The advice is sound,
rational, and on point. If you are going to add a new book to your poker library,
pick up a copy of "The Poker Mindset" and consider it another piece of the puzzle
found.
Questions or comments on this article? Click
here to send a letter to the editors
More
Book Reviews
About the Author:
Al
Spath is the "Dean" at PokerSchoolOnline, and has authored: the "Poker Journal."
In addition to having one place for all your poker records you'll get advice and
tips on reading hands, playing live, reading tells and so much more (
www.alspath.com).
Al's poker expertise coupled with his insight and ability to communicate effectively
to both large and smaller sized audiences, make him an ideal speaker for any company,
convention, college, or organizational group venue.
Comments to: AlSpath@pokerschoolonline.com
Previous Article | Article
Listing | Next Article
